


Monster on Manastra

by AdamH312



Series: Curristan Chronicles [16]
Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:01:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27997182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdamH312/pseuds/AdamH312
Summary: Curristan is getting used to now being in her third incarnation after the events on Trenzalore. She arrives on the paradise world of Manastra but finds something sinister happening. An evil corporation has a project which will change the history of the planet for the worse, using a new type of life to achieve it.
Series: Curristan Chronicles [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/994611





	1. Mystery in Paradise

Curristan danced around the console flicking switches as the TARDIS rocked in flight. She had been in a great mood since leaving Trenzalore and she hoped that where she landed next would be interesting. She had noticed that she had a new fondness for fudge, which she had multiple times made in the kitchen.

There had been not much going on really, but she was hoping to soon find a good place to land. _'Well this is fun, I am already feeling very comfortable in this new body...I thought that I would find it more strange.'_

Leaning on the console she grinned. She knew exactly the place to go. Setting the coordinates, she held on as the TARDIS shuddered for a moment before finally stabilising. It would be nice to have a short holiday, though usually that events never happen as she wanted.

The TARDIS materialised in a woodland clearing that was surrounded by a copse of trees and under a rich purple sky. Onboard Curristan felt relieved that she had managed to get there, she was still not sure of her piloting skills in this incarnation.

_'Planet Manastra, the twelfth day of the second month, six thousand, three hundred and ninety-six. Looks like clear weather today, winds calm, oxygen levels normal, radiation nil.'_

Turning the scanner on, she could see the trees outside which was quite comforting. Though it did remind her of when she was on Kiratia. She paused for a moment before turning the scanner off again. It was time to see what was out there.

Exiting Curristan found herself pleased with the climate of the planet.

Deciding to start looking around she walked through the forest, making sure that she kept wary for any traps or ambushes. Her skills in hand to hand combat seemed to be better this time around, with a knowledge of the Earth disciplines of Krav Maga and Brazilian Jui-Jitsu. That had surprised her when she found that out. Chuckling at the memory she found she was approaching a clearing.

Peeking through the trees she realised that a person was lying there unconscious. Slowly creeping forward, she made her way towards the body before taking out her sonic screwdriver. Scanning the body she could see that it had been hit with some sort of molecular gun which had disrupted the DNA inside the body.

Screwing her brow in thought, she knew that this had been a very violent and painful death. That meant that this seemingly benign paradise had something going on which was very wrong. That definitely bore investigating.

Flentrius looked at the readings on his screen with some distaste. The programme had been running for four days now and there was no real progress being made. The DNA splicing had been difficult and so far all project subjects had been killed by the process. It seemed that the programme was about to be terminated due to lack of results. But the scientific community of Manastra had put a lot of monetary funding into it. The Atliensa Corporation was a major backer of the project.

There had been some people against the project, the claims of ethic violations had harmed their case. But so far that had not pushed the project too far behind schedule. The main goal of the project was to create a new super soldier that could push a new order onto the planet. The Atliensa Corporation had big plans for the planet, which any delays would be punished severely.

_'I need to wait for them to bring more samples. It seems so far things aren't going so well..'_

Curristan had continued onwards, her mind whirling with thoughts as she tried to figure out what was happening. The area around her seemed to open out into a large facility. Though from what she could see that only seemed not really that important. But you could never really judge something from first appearances.

Now at the edge of the facility's outer wall, she could see that there was a lot of security protecting the main access points. This usually would be a problem, but if she looked hard enough there would be somewhere to get in...she hoped.

As she moved along the perimeter she had the sonic screwdriver out and deactivating the security feeds for a short burst so she could get through. No point deactivating them for good as then they would know she was here.

Finally, she found something interesting. Looked like a service hatch of some kind. Sonicking it open she could see no serious security like a forcefield which if tripped could set off an alarm. Shrugging, she began to climb down.


	2. Into the Facility

Flentrius sighed in resignation. The new samples had arrived but there were not enough scientists right now to work through them. He was solo in the laboratory for the moment so right now he wasn't really going to get anywhere. That meant that for now, more waiting..

Curristan moved through the tunnel, taking note of the fact that it was relatively unguarded.

 _'This is weird....there seems to be no guard. I am feeling bad about all this going on.'_ Deciding to continue on, she realised that there was a sealed door up ahead. This fact suddenly and inexplicably reminded her of Galenta. That brought up another thought. _'I wonder what Sam is up to now..'_ Brought out of her thoughts, she reached the door and took a look at the keypad.

It was a high combination multi-layered keypad. Curristan decided to begin trying to bypass the security protocols, attempting to disable the locks without tripping the system. After several minutes a steady beeping announced the locks finally coming undone. _'I am so out of practice at the moment...that has got to change.'_

Slipping through, she knew that now she would be in a high-security area. Looking quickly around she found a terminal and slipped towards it. Starting to type she started to look through the files trying to find what was going on. Suddenly after several moments, she managed to get into the data library, finding a file which seemed to have several subsections. Finding it having high-security protocols, she immediately began to penetrate them.

After a few minutes she had finally got in, accessing the prime file. After several moments scanning through it, she realised that something was really wrong with this. _'This sounds really serious..the fact they are making this is serious. I need to figure out more about this and then I can do something about it.'_

Looking around she could see that there were also several workstations that luckily had no-one there at present. Searching through each one, finally, she found a datapad which would be useful. Immediately returning to the terminal she began to download the files so she could study them without having to be at the terminal. Finally, she crashed the entire operating system to make sure that the files could not be salvaged. _'Hmm, I seem to have a vindictive streak in me. Oh well that makes sure their research is set back. I am sure they have backups, but the main system is now crippled.'_

Back in the laboratory, Flentrius had finally got his samples and even more genetic material. _'Now we will be able to get somewhere....'_ he thought with relief. Moving to the medical equipment he began to place the sample trays into the genetic splicing machine. It was hoped that the right sort of genetic material would be found so to build the projected soldier with the correct genes and traits.

After half an hour of placing the trays in, he moved to the control console. Imputing several commands, the machine began to whir as the processing began. It would be again a long and labour intensive process, but in the end, the end goal justified the time and money in the project.

Curristan was in a storage unit going over the files she had downloaded. The project to her seemed like they were going to create a soldier that they could then be able to replicate, eventually creating an army. However, it seemed so far that genetic testing was ongoing, which would be a good opportunity to end it before things got to a critical point. A little bit of sabotage would be all that is needed. But right now it was best if she gathered more information...

Mastian Hartigen was the CEO of Atliensa Corporation and one of the most influential people on the planet and the local galaxy. His lightly tanned skin, black wavy hair and piercing brown eyes was well known, with his tailored suits being the in thing fashion-wise. He also was planning to expand his influence beyond what he had known, using Manastra's economical might as a tool. However, he needed the current project to succeed for the first phase of his plan. Right now he had nothing but frustrating news. He hoped that it would change soon or things would have to be changed.

Entering his office and taking out his datapad he found that several memorandums were awaiting him on it. Placing his briefcase by his desk and sitting down, he opened up the datapad and went through what was on it. Sighing in annoyance he put it down and massaged his temples. It seemed that while things were progressing, things were still not going as planned.

Turning on his terminal he decided to see what was up. Pressing a few keys he got through to Professor Leightem the head of the project.

“ _Well what is causing all this holdup, I told you a week ago if things didn't get better I would be making changes. Well?”_

_'”H-Hello sir, I am sorry that things have been really static. Our supply of genetic samples has been slow and we are having issues splicing the DNA strands...”_

Slamming his right hand on the desk Hartigen spat _“I WILL HAVE NO EXCUSES!! You have had ample time to do this. I understand your difficulties but if I don't see any progress in the next thirty-six hours I will replace you and have you shot!”_

“ _Y-Yes sir, I will make the team aware. I will report back in twelve hours.”_

“ _Make sure you do”_ Hartigen warned with a menace to his tone. Turning off the connection he sighed. ' _Why does this happen to me?..”_

Curristan had by now managed to enter into the scientific wing using a shaft that led from where she had been hiding. Before she could do anything to end the project she needed more info. The files she had seen gave her most of the picture, but there were still questions she needed answering.

_'I think that there is more to this than just a super-soldier project. But I need to first get more information and I will when I get to the laboratory.'_

As Curristan reached the duct she needed to exit, Flentrius was finishing for the day. He had managed to make some progress but he had heard the CEO's warning and hoped that they would be able to do what he wanted. He didn't really want to face his wrath. His wife and son would be devastated if he didn't come home one day. He turned and left the laboratory, following the other technicians and scientists as they left and the other shift would arrive soon.

Curristan sonicked the duct open and climbed out. She would have to work fast and get the information she needed before escaping. She wouldn't be able to do anything right away, but she could get what she needed to make a plan. The next shift would arrive soon, so time was very short.


	3. Countdown to Creation

Curristan continued to work feverishly as she began to download the main console. She knew that the samples were out of her reach right now, also she didn't want to advertise the fact that she was here. _'Aha finally I have what I need...now delete the download log and done.'_ Quickly detaching the datapad from the console, she ran back into the duct and sealed it behind her. It was just in time as the next shift of scientists began to arrive.

_'I am so glad I wiped the log of the download before I finished, I don't need the attention..'_

Feeling safe that she couldn't be seen, she settled down and began to read the new data she had collected. She noted that these files seemed to be more detailed than the ones she had downloaded earlier. Finding a file that seemed to have the most security protocols on, she began her efforts to crack them. Luckily she had plenty of time.

Professor Leightem was feeling relieved at what he was seeing. The threats by the CEO had rattled him as he didn't want to fail and have to face the dreaded firing squads. He was a hard worker which is why he had been made the chief scientist of the project. Luckily he had been given some autonomy but had to deal with very diligent oversight as the project was the one being given the most resources.

  
  


_'The recent developments are absolutely amazing...I am so glad that we finally have begun to stride forwards in all aspects of the project. I just hope we can keep this up and reach the final stage in the next twelve hours....or I will have to face him again.'_

He felt a shiver of displeasure at that. One thing he did not want was to be shouted at or belittled by him. The number of scientists they had lost due to his whims did not bear thinking about. He had lost some good people that would be very useful right now. But he had to do with who he had and continue to press on.

The project was now beginning to gather pace as the samples that were needed began to come together. They had recently finished the growth accelerator which would grow the body at a much faster rate than a natural maturation. Testing was now underway and so far it seemed that it was working. The only real setback had been the gathering of the genetic material.

The scientists in the laboratory were working flat out to get the samples prepared. The recent problems had caused major pressure and none of the scientists had been allowed home for two months while the vital stages of the project were going ahead. No-one had no real chance to complain as any dissent would be punished.

After four hours of work, they had started beginning adding the samples to a compiler which would begin creating the embryo before it was inserted into the growth accelerator and a body would be made. However, it will be some time before they reached the point of starting maturation.

Curristan looked carefully at the main body of the file. She had seen that the samples had come from all over the planet, which had many species living alongside the original human colonists. As she read, she felt angry at the fact that if this project were completed the entire planet would be forced into a war that would mean this Atliensa Corporation ending up subjugating the world.

_'I really need to keep looking as I don't want to fail to stop this...this corporation has no right to bring tyranny to Manastra.'_

She could see also that the project had been given much support, though it seemed some were not really happy about it. _'Maybe I could get in contact with them?'_ After a moment though she realised that she didn't have time. _'Maybe not...I am already here in the facility where it's happening. I can't really just up and leave when I have a chance to deal with this.'_ Curristan yawned as she had been hiding for several hours and hadn't slept for at least thirty-six hours after her regeneration. _'First, though I need some sleep and think on it...'_ Closing her eyes she relaxed and began to fall asleep.

As Curristan was resting in her hiding place, the laboratory was running at full capacity to reach the next phase of the project. Flenturius had returned back as every scientist was being drafted to work at once to accelerate the progress. There as a sense of positivity rising as they finally approached the cusp of the final phase.

_'I am so glad that we are now making good progress. The tension had been unbearable before and I look forward until we can have a good rest while the machines do the final pieces. Mind you...I will be glad when I can get home again..'_

Shaking off those thoughts, he returned his attention to his terminal. He knew that he was on the verge of a breakthrough, so he needed to work as fast as he could. The final stage was within sight and he knew that there would be nothing anyone could do to stop them now.


	4. On the Cusp

Curristan awoke with a start. She had managed to get six hours of rest which was a welcome relief. The problem which faced her was a troubling one. The project she had stumbled on was something she could not let carry on. The files she had described a very dangerous being would soon be born to the detriment of the world.

Bringing her attention back to the datapad, she continued the task of going through what she had. The problem was that the data was still incomplete. It seemed that the main files were with the CEO of Atliensa Corporation. She would have to eventually try and find his office.

_'I am going on limited information and that's not good at all. I want to stop them as soon as possible, but I think this super-soldier they are creating will be born before I can get any chance. Though I still think I can find something on here which can help me at least get pointed in the right direction.'_

She scrolled further down and found a file which suddenly caught her attention. She opened it and found it was a report filed in the last week. _'This looks interesting...'_

The final phase was now ready to begin. Inside the genetic splicing machine, the DNA samples were being combined and the resulting embryo would go into the growth accelerator for the final step. Then it would be an estimated twenty hours before the process was completed, where the first specimen would be competing.

All preparations were at advanced stages so all hands were on the deck so to speak to get them completed for the final stage. Flenturius was busy inputting the necessary commands into the console so the program could work properly.

As the final samples began to be entered, the mood began to be more cheerful as they knew that they were now making major strides to their goal. The scientists had been pushed to their limits and were happy that their hard work and toil was paying off.

After just over eight hours of work, the final phase began as the growth accelerator began to function.

Curristan looking at the datapad suddenly got an alert appearing on the screen. Furrowing her brow she realised that something was up. Opening it, she looked in horror as she realised the final phase was now underway.

_'This is trouble... I need to figure out a way to prevent it from being born. Either that or find a way to destroy it once it's created. I think the best way is for me to keep monitoring their network and see if I can find a weak point that I can use.'_

She decided to redouble her efforts to find the security controls of the laboratory so if she could get inside and then even manipulate the environment inside. It would be overkill but blowing the laboratory up could be possible.

The final phase meanwhile was now well underway with the first signs of life being monitored in the genetic accelerator. An embryo was slowly growing and its environment was being carefully held as any major deviation could mean its end. Also, there was a chance that any cutting of any connections could also be disastrous.

However, so far it had been steady and without any disruption. Flenturius was absolutely ecstatic at the current progress. He knew that from now on it would be smooth running, plus he hoped that now the chief scientist and the CEO would be happy.

_'So far things seem to be stable....current progress is about thirty-five per cent and climbing. The subject is still growing at a steady rate and environmental controls are holding steady.'_

He kept an eye on his instruments, making sure that soon there would be a result...

_'Hmm seems like soon the soldier will be born. I wish I could get into there but right now there are too many people. I don't really want to revert back to my past penchant for shooting my way through the place. I want to become better than that.'_

Trawling through several files, she finally found something which interested her. _'This is intriguing....these are connected to the system architecture.. this could be very useful. I need to study these further.'_

As she continued to study, the laboratory continued to run and moved closer to the final objective.

There was a big expectation in the air as the scientists waited for the genetic accelerator began to reach the end of its cycle. The soldier was almost completed and they had begun to slim down the personnel in the laboratory. Other than that, there was nothing really to do in terms of the project.

Then all of a sudden, the alarms began to sound and a voice began to sound a warning: _“ALERT GENETIC ACCELERATOR ENVIRONMENT COMPROMISED. SUBJECT VIABILITY FAILING”_

Flenturius happened to be in the room and he was panicked. _'What's happening? I need to see what's happening..'_

He ran to a console and began to type, but he soon realised the entire system was out of control...


End file.
